Captive StateReview

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An atmospheric sci-fi flick with a message that will stick with you long after you leave the theatre.

By Rosie Knight

Director Rupert Wyatt launched a massive franchise with Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011, but since then he's been much quieter, directing indie Mark Wahlberg starrer The Gambler and taking turns on TV shows like The Exorcist. Now, after eight years, he's returning to the science fiction fray with Captive State, and though it's a world away from the big budget star vehicle he's most well known for, it's the director's best film yet with a sterling cast, moving story, and impressive effects.

Set in Chicago almost a decade after an intergalactic assault which has changed the face of the entire planet, Wyatt quickly establishes the state of play with some simple yet intelligent visual exposition, and by the time the opening credits have finished rolling you're an active part in this terrifying new world. It's a thoroughly dystopian landscape we find our protagonist Gabriel in as he navigates the leftovers of his hometown.

Ashton Sanders is an engaging presence -- as anyone who has seen Moonlight will know -- and it's exhilarating to see him lead a genre film, especially as he offers up a fantastic performance, a bundle of anxiety, anger, and occasional hope.

Exit Theatre Mode

Gabriel lives a strained existence on the edge of a society which has been entirely restructured to suit the needs of the new extraterrestrial overlords. Though it sounds like it could easily slip into B-movie territory, Captive State excels at world-building and Wyatt's interest in the mundane details of everyday life under occupation make this a surprisingly believable version of an alien invasion. Following Gabriel around his average day allows us to learn about the new state of play without any needless exposition. From the intricacies of his employment to the vast cityscape of Chicago, which has now been marred by a huge organic alien structure, Wyatt delivers on establishing a unique vision of a very authentic kind of dystopia.

Sanders is at the heart of a solid cast which features a brilliantly duplicitous and intriguing turn from John Goodman (who seems to have great taste in smaller science fiction flicks) as alien enforcer and police officer John Mulligan. In a lot of ways the pair are distorted mirrors of each other as Gabriel tries to survive on the outskirts of society whilst Mulligan apparently thrives within the deepest parts of the new leadership. The quickness with which humanity has succumbed to the invasion is one of the most interesting parts of the film, though with any colonization there is also rebellion rumbling beneath, one to which Gabriel has an intimate connection.

At its core, Captive State is a film about resistance and the way that each of us tries to fight for what we believe in. It's not a clean and obvious fight, and that makes it even more interesting to witness. Genre films have always excelled when they're analogous, and though Wyatt is loathe to make any big statements, there's a power and timeliness to a story about hope in the face of the most unimaginable odds.

And there's a reality to this version of that narrative, one that reconciles how much easier it is to run away than fight, to assimilate than to rebel, and how long the seeds of true resistance take to bloom into something that can change the world.

The Verdict

Captive State, Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt's return to science fiction, is an imaginative, interesting, and ultimately rewarding affair. A lo-fi vision of the future which manages to be both heartbreaking and hopeful, Captive State is held together by tight direction and a fantastic lead performance from Ashton Sanders.